The present invention relates to high voltage electrical switches, such as high voltage circuit breakers, switchgear, and other electrical equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to an electrical switch whose contacts are located within an insulating environmental enclosure, such as a ceramic bottle. One of the contacts may be actuated by a mechanical system outside of the enclosure connected by a shaft extending through an enclosure seal.
In conventional systems, the actuating mechanisms typically form a ground connection in the switch and, unless precautions are taken, current may arc from the switch assembly to the actuating mechanism, causing failure or damage. To address this, conventional high voltage switches, such as overhead reclosers, typically utilize a lengthy fiberglass pull rod to connect the actuating mechanism to the switch contact. The insulative fiberglass rod extends through an air filled cavity. Air requires a long distance between contacts in order to reduce the likelihood of arcing in high voltage (e.g., 3+kV) environments. Thus, this configuration takes a significant amount of physical space.